My personal view (not worth much, since I haven’t looked into this closely): in about 20-25 years, most people in cities and big towns in the First World will have access (within their city or region) to 3D printer services. There may be dedicated 3D print stores, or 3D printers may be available in copy shops or stationery stores or Internet kiosk-type places. I still suspect that people won’t use them for things they can get online or at nearby physical stores. They might use 3D printing for specialized production, custom stuff (like a custom gift for a loved one), or if they’re in a real hurry and can’t wait to have something delivered.
Further, it’ll probably take another 20-25 years after that for 3D printing at home to be ubiquitous. It’s also possible that home 3D printing will never become ubiquitous.
As mentioned above, I haven’t looked into this closely enough to have high confidence in my views.
My personal view (not worth much, since I haven’t looked into this closely): in about 20-25 years, most people in cities and big towns in the First World will have access (within their city or region) to 3D printer services. There may be dedicated 3D print stores, or 3D printers may be available in copy shops or stationery stores or Internet kiosk-type places. I still suspect that people won’t use them for things they can get online or at nearby physical stores. They might use 3D printing for specialized production, custom stuff (like a custom gift for a loved one), or if they’re in a real hurry and can’t wait to have something delivered.
Further, it’ll probably take another 20-25 years after that for 3D printing at home to be ubiquitous. It’s also possible that home 3D printing will never become ubiquitous.
As mentioned above, I haven’t looked into this closely enough to have high confidence in my views.